There’s a certain contingent around the league that believes superstar players get preferential treatment from the officials, that they aren’t called for traveling violations or that the whistle tends to go their way when it comes to drawing fouls, those sorts of things.
But then there is a whole other set of superstars who believe that they don’t get the credit they deserve from the referees, that they are unfairly maligned in certain situations. Jazz center Rudy Gobert, for instance, has been a vocal critic recently of how he’s been officiated.
I’s not limited to the players themselves. Just this weekend, Raptors coach Nick Nurse had plenty to say about what he saw as unfair treatment of Kawhi Leonard during Toronto’s loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Nurse said it was “ridiculous” the way they ignored what he considered obvious fouls by defenders.
But because publicly criticizing refs is prohibited, the league decided to fine $15,000 for his comments, as reported by ESPN:
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse has been fined $15,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for public criticism of the officiating, which occurred after Sunday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Nurse directed his ire at officials for not calling fouls made against star Kawhi Leonard. He was particularly alarmed that Leonard had only four free throws in the 95-86 loss despite Leonard’s work around the rim.
Coming from a coach, it’s an effort to get more calls moving forward and is usually more effective than when it comes directly from a player, as Gobert is learning the hard way given that his relationship with officials is seemingly only further strained by his comments.
Regardless, Nurse’s pocketbook will be a little lighter for defending his star player against what he perceives as inconsistent treatment.
(Via ESPN)
